How Raila Odinga's 10-point agenda has been betrayed

When ODM leader Raila Odinga penned his signature to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with President William Ruto’s UDA on March 7 last year, he was upbeat that the ills committed by the government would be a thing of the past.

It is through the spirit of the MoU that the Agnes Zani-led 10-point agenda committee was constituted, with express instructions that it completes its work in one year; that was yesterday.

Listing what would otherwise be described as the guiding principles of his political alliance with President Ruto, Raila was hopeful that within one year, the government would have implemented policy interventions to end cases of police brutality, unemployment, extra-judicial killings, and ensure respect for the independence of political parties.

When he spoke after signing the document, Raila said the MoU would resolve the social, economic, and political challenges facing the country, adding that, following their coming together, the government would respect the right to assembly, the right to picket, and that the State would not interfere with political parties.

“The goal of the MoU is to help ease the prevailing tensions in the country, reconcile the population, alleviate their suffering, and move the country forward by addressing the critical social, political and economic issues our people are grappling with,” he said.

“We have agreed to help build a barn for our country rather than merely kick down what we have. We will also address critical challenges facing the country through a formation that is truly national and inclusive in outlook. We further agreed to prioritise youth unemployment, which has resulted in hopelessness,” he added.

No deadline claim

A year later, Raila’s dream seems to have vanished, with the pro-government ODM faction justifying why Raila’s desire for a better country has yet to be accomplished by unashamedly stating that there is no deadline to implement the ten-point agenda and the Nadco report.

“What I would like to correct is the statement that the 10-point agenda is ending on March  7, 2026. It is moving the nation forward as was discussed by the two principals at the time and it can therefore not have an end date,” said Wanga.

From her argument, it now appears the committee will continue working in perpetuity, probably to be used for political expediency in the ongoing UDA–ODM cooperation talks.

While the Committee on the Implementation of the Nadco Report, christened Coin-10, was set to present its report yesterday, little has been done to provide oversight of the implementation of the ten-point agenda and the Nadco report.

The committee, comprised of five people drawn from both the ruling UDA and ODM parties, was formed after Ruto and Raila entered into the MoU to oversee the full implementation of the Nadco report. It was to ensure inclusivity in budgetary allocations and public appointments, protect and strengthen devolution, oversee economic investment in the youth, leadership, integrity, and an end to opulence among state officers.

The committee was expected to seek public views on how to implement the Nadco recommendations across the country, which included an audit of the 2022 electoral process.

It was also to seek views on increasing timelines for Presidential Election Petitions, establishing the Office of the Opposition and the Office of the Prime Minister, and entrenching the NG-CDF into the Constitution.

However, the very rights the committee was supposed to ensure were safeguarded continue to be broken, as the helpless committee watches without cautioning office bearers or at least condemning the cases that go against the spirit of the committee.

Sources reveal that progress has been slow due to, among other reasons, lack of political goodwill, financial challenges, and the death of Raila, one of the principals of the MoU alongside President Ruto.

Analysts believe the committee has not received the backing it needed from the government to undertake its mandate, as empowering it would mean committing the government to implementing the report, which it appears reluctant to do.

No change 

Police have continued to disrupt rallies of government critics, a practice that violates the right to peaceful assembly, with cases of deaths and injuries being reported, while corruption continues to be endemic, with reports from the Auditor-General exposing massive mismanagement of public coffers.

Just last week, a report from the National Treasury indicated that State House had exceeded its annual budgetary allocation of Sh7 billion and had used Sh10 billion by July this year.

Despite instances of police involvement in political policing, where government critics were attacked and injured, no police officer has been arrested or charged.

Under the Nadco report, there was a proposed Bill to establish the Office of the Opposition and to create a team of six professionals to audit the 2022 general elections, a proposal that has not been implemented.

Analysts believe the committee has largely been a waste of time, as it lacked legal standing to oversee some State agencies and institutions, such as the National Assembly and the Senate, while others argue that the committee was let down by the ODM faction, which focused on promoting the two-term agenda rather than holding the government accountable to implement the MoU.

According to Nyamira Senator Okongo Omogeni, the ten-point agenda carried real promise and gave many Kenyans hope for meaningful change, but without consistent follow-through and accountability, much of that potential remains unrealised. Omogeni notes that had the ten-point agenda been fully implemented and properly monitored, the country would be seeing tangible progress and improved livelihoods today.

“Raila’s dream was to use the moment to improve governance and protect fundamental freedoms and human rights. We did not follow up because we are caught up with broad-based and two-term political sloganeering,” he said.

Embattled ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said the pro-government ODM team had betrayed Raila’s legacy, which he said was being sacrificed for selfish gain.

“Raila must be turning in his grave at this betrayal when he sees the discretion of his legacy that he has always stood for. He has been against the weaponisation of State agencies, lack of respect for human dignity, and corruption,” he said.

Political analyst Fanya Mambo Kinuthia maintained that the committee was “a waste of taxpayers’ money, as issues such as electoral injustice are yet to be resolved.”

“Boundaries review needs to happen. The famous ‘fungua server’ demands were supposed to be addressed by the committee to understand what happened during the 2022 general elections,’ Kinuthia said.